1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cartridge magazine for an automatic cartridge changer for cartridge magnetic tapes, and more particularly to a cartridge magazine suitable for removing and loading an arbitrarily selected cartridge magnetic tape therefrom and thereinto even when the automatic cartridge changer is in operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional cartridge magazines include a cartridge magazine for holding cartridges therein, which magazine is provided at a cartridge inlet-outlet port with a latch stopper for cartridges as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 80676/1986. However, in this prior art cartridge magazine, consideration is not given to operations for removing and loading a cartridge magnetic tape therefrom and thereinto as necessary while an automatic cartridge changer is in operation.
In the above-mentioned conventional techniques, in which no consideration is given to operations for removing and loading a cartridge magnetic tape from and into a cartridge magazine in operation, an unprocessed or processed cartridge magnetic tape is removed. In order to add a cartridge magnetic tape to the magazine, it is necessary to run the automatic tape changing operation to the end, remove the cartridge magazine from the automatic cartridge changer, and then carry out the adding operation. This increases the number of magazine handling steps that need to be executed by the operator.